June 16, 2010
09:00 AM (EDT)

News Release Number: STScI-2010-20

Mysterious Flash on Jupiter Left No Debris Cloud

June 16, 2010: Detailed observations made by the Wide Field Camera 3 on
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found an answer to the
flash of light seen June 3 on Jupiter. It came from a giant
meteor burning up high above Jupiter's cloud tops. The space
visitor did not plunge deep enough into the atmosphere to
explode and leave behind any telltale cloud of debris, as seen
in previous Jupiter collisions.